The South Carolina High School League football playoffs kick off this Friday, Nov. 3 with 12 Chronicle Country teams aiming for a shot at a state title. 

The championship games will be played from Nov. 30- Dec. 2 at South Carolina State University. 

Class 5A 

Upper State

Dutch Fork vs Boiling Springs

Dutch Fork earned the opportunity to defend its title after winning its final three region games to overcome a (2-5) start to the season. 

The Silver Foxes dominated their end-of-season schedule to finish second in the 5A Region Four conference behind undefeated White Knoll. Dutch Fork outscored its opponents 135-25 in those three games.

The team will host Boiling Springs in the first round, which finished its season (4-6) overall and (1-3) in the 5A Region 2 conference. 

Lexington at Gaffney

Lexington will travel to Gaffney for its opening-round game. 

The Wildcats started the season (7-1) but dropped three of their last four games and ended region play at (2-2). The team will attempt to make a deeper run after getting bounced out of the tournament last season in the second round. 

Lower State

White Knoll vs Cane Bay

White Knoll enters the state tournament undefeated at (8-0) after dominating its regular season. 

The Timberwolves clinched its first region title since 2014 with a week left to go in the regular season after a 16-0 shutout over Lexington. Freshman Tyion Fanning led the team in touchdowns, with 11, and rushing yards, with 625. 

White Knoll has outscored its opponents 347-64 this season. The team will welcome Cane Bay for its first-round matchup. 

Chapin at Stratford

Chapin will visit Stratford to kick off its playoff run after finishing (6-4) in the regular season. 

The Eagles relied heavily on their passing attack this season, throwing for 2,222 yards compared to only 487 rushing. 

The team will look to move on from its region struggles, after going (1-3), and move on to the second round of the state tournament to play the winner of Sumter and Ashley Ridge. 

River Bluff at Summerville

River Bluff qualified for the state tournament, despite going (0-4) to finish last in their region. 

It was a tale of two seasons for the Gators, who started (5-1) before starting region play. From there, the River Bluff defense struggled, allowing at least 35 points in every region game. 

River Bluff travels to Summerville on Friday, looking to get back to its early season success. 

Class 4A 

Upper State

Airport at Westside

Airport will face (9-1) Westside in its first-round matchup. 

The Eagles return to the state tournament after failing to qualify last season. The team will have an uphill battle ahead of them if they want to make a deep run after being outscored 289-142 in the regular season. 

Lower State

Irmo vs Colleton County

The Yellowjackets will try to cap off a perfect (10-0) season with a state championship, but first, the team will have to beat Colleton County at home. 

Irmo steamrolled through its regular season schedule, winning four shutouts and keeping its opponents under double-digit points in all but two games. 

The Yellowjackets' offense revolves around quarterback A.J. Brand who recorded 2,163 yards, 33 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 753 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. 

Class 3A 

Lower State

Brookland-Cayce vs Lake City

The Bearcats started the season (3-2) but went undefeated in conference play to give head coach Rusty Charpia another regional championship.

Brookland-Cayce had two down-to-the-wire games near the end of the season that propelled them to first place in the region. First, they beat Dreher in an overtime thriller on Oct. 13, and last week, they defeated then-unbeaten Gilbert by a touchdown. 

The team’s experience in close games could be beneficial as it tries to make a run in the playoffs. The Bearcats' first game in the tournament will be at home against Lake City

Gilbert vs Darlington

Gilbert put up a strong (9-1) season, with its lone loss coming in a one-possession game against Brookland-Cayce for the region title in the final week of the season. 

The Indians have a high-scoring offense that averages 42 points per game. The defense has put up strong performances, including a shutout in the team’s 60-point win over Swansea. 

The team will host Darlington in the first round. The Falcons are (4-6) this season but enter Friday’s contest on a two-game winning streak.

Class 2A 

Upper State

Gray Collegiate vs Pelion

The only first-round matchup to feature two county chronicle teams will be between Gray Collegiate and Pelion. 

The War Eagles have had a unique season thanks to a state-wide controversy about the competitive balance between charter and public schools. Gray went undefeated in region play after every team forfeited in protest. 

The team replaced most of those forfeits with games against teams from around the country and finished the season with an 11-3 record. 

Pelion returns to the state playoffs after failing to qualify last season. The Panthers finished the season (3-7) overall and (1-4) in region play. 

Batesburg-Leesville vs Chesnee

Batesburg-Leesville put together a very middle-of-the-pack season, finishing (5-5) overall and (3-2) against regional foes. 

The team barely scored more points than their opponents this season, totaling 272 points for and 270 points against. The defense put together one shutout performance this season, beating Pelion 35-0.

The Panthers’ performance this season was good enough to host a first-round match against Chesnee on Friday.